The successful use of plant biomass for the sustainable production of energy and co-products such as chemicals is critically important for the future of humanity. Large scale exploitation of biomass is needed to decrease the production of greenhouse gases and help mitigate global warming, to provide energy security in the face of declining petroleum reserves, to improve balance of payment imbalances, and to spur local economic development. This volume discusses such uses of plant biomass as well as ways to improve the productivity and composition of plant species, including trees, perennial and annual grasses, oil-producing plants and algae, that have the potential to produce substrates such as sugar, starch, oil and cell walls, as well as energy and co-product substrates. The problems of invasiveness and gene dispersal are discussed, as are ways to mitigate these. Among the topics covered are models for integrated biorefineries to produce many co-product chemicals, the use of corn stover to power ethanol plants, life cycle analysis of biofuels, and criteria for biomass sustainability and certification. This is indeed an exciting and fast-moving time for advocates of plant biomass-based technology.
Author(s): Charles E. Wyman (auth.), Peter N. Mascia, Jürgen Scheffran, Jack M. Widholm (eds.)
Series: Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry 66
Edition: 1
Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
Year: 2010
Language: English
Pages: 458
Tags: Agriculture; Forestry; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Renewable and Green Energy; Sustainable Development; Biotechnology
Front Matter....Pages i-xvii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Introduction Overview: World Energy Resources and the Need for Biomass for Energy and Lower Fossil Carbon Dioxide Emissions....Pages 3-23
Designing Biomass Crops with Improved Calorific Content and Attributes for Burning: a UK Perspective....Pages 25-55
Designing Plants To Meet Feedstock Needs....Pages 57-84
Front Matter....Pages 85-85
Engineering Advantages, Challenges and Status of Sugarcane and other Sugar-Based Biomass Resources....Pages 87-109
High Fermentable Corn Hybrids for the Dry-Grind Corn Ethanol Industry....Pages 111-123
Engineering Advantages, Challenges and Status of Grass Energy Crops....Pages 125-154
Woody Biomass and Purpose-Grown Trees as Feedstocks for Renewable Energy....Pages 155-208
Engineering Status, Challenges and Advantages of Oil Crops....Pages 209-259
Front Matter....Pages 261-261
Invasive Species Biology, Ecology, Management and Risk Assessment: Evaluating and Mitigating the Invasion Risk of Biofuel Crops....Pages 263-284
Gene Flow in Genetically Engineered Perennial Grasses: Lessons for Modification of Dedicated Bioenergy Crops....Pages 285-297
Genetic Modification in Dedicated Bioenergy Crops and Strategies for Gene Confinement....Pages 299-315
Front Matter....Pages 317-317
Integrated Biorefineries—A Bottom-Up Approach to Biomass Fractionation....Pages 319-343
Heat and Power Production from Stover for Corn Ethanol Plants....Pages 345-362
Front Matter....Pages 363-363
The Problem is the Solution: the Role of Biofuels in the Transition to a Regenerative Agriculture....Pages 365-384
Life-Cycle Analysis of Biofuels....Pages 385-408
Criteria for a Sustainable Bioenergy Infrastructure and Lifecycle....Pages 409-447
Back Matter....Pages 449-458
